In this piece
Hiring a tribute band takes seven steps. You settle the first two before you email any band, and everything else depends on them.
1. Match the artist to your audience
Start with the people in front of the stage. How old are they, what music do they all know, and are they coming to dance or to listen? An ABBA or Bee Gees tribute gets a mixed room onto the dance floor. A Red Hot Chili Peppers or Golden Earring tribute works for a crowd that grew up with those bands and wants it louder.
Still undecided? The quiz: which tribute band suits your party? helps you choose.
2. Hear the band live
A studio recording tells you little about a night in a room. Ask for a live recording, see whether the band is playing somewhere nearby, and go and watch if you can. Listen for two things above all: do the vocals hold up in the hard songs, and is the band tight?
3. Ask for a proposal
Send the band or booking agency everything they need in one message:
- the date, or a few possible dates
- the place and the type of venue
- the type of event and how many people you expect
- how much music you want
- what sound and lighting the venue has, if you know
How the price is built up and how to compare two quotes fairly is explained on what a cover band costs. The same applies to tribute bands.
4. Agree the length and the sets
A festival wants one set with the hits back to back. A wedding or company party works with sets around dinner, the speeches and the cake. Give the band your running order and they will plan the sets around it.
5. Put the setlist together
With a tribute band you already know the artist, so the question is which songs. Ask for the repertoire and make two lists: what must be in and what can go. Mention a first dance or a song for the birthday guest separately. Our own repertoire is here.
6. Sort out tech and venue
Power at the stage, a flat dry spot, a roof over the band if you play outdoors, load-in and load-out times, a finishing time the venue allows, and the music licence for a public performance. It is all listed in our checklist for organisers. What we bring is under tech.
7. Put everything in writing
Date, times, length of set, setlist agreements, what the band brings, what you arrange, the fee and what happens if someone has to cancel. One contact person on the night with a phone number saves a lot of searching.
How it works with De Peppers
You fill in the booking form. We check the diary, let you know whether we are free and send a proposal. Then we agree the length, setlist, times and tech with you. On the night we arrive on time, do a soundcheck and stop at the agreed finishing time. How that works for each type of event is under festivals, bars, weddings and company parties. Want to hear us first? Watch our videos.
More questions? Read questions about booking a tribute band or go back to the guide to booking a tribute band.
Sources
De Peppers editorial team
Written by the editors at De Peppers, the Red Hot Chili Peppers tribute band from Noord-Brabant, the Netherlands. Every fact is sourced at the bottom of the piece. Spotted a mistake? Email info@mia-automation.com and we will check it.
